Day: February 15, 2017

Purchasing train tickets to travel from Mawlamyine to Bago involved three conversations with rail staff on three different days. On the afternoon we arrived in Mawlamyine, we checked that we could buy a ticket the following day, and were told that we could, but at the other counters on the other side of the station. The Mawlamyine station is quite impressive, clean marble floors and obviously no one allowed to hang about or sell anything from the front area of the station. The ticket office is split between windows for tickets for same day travel – on the right when you enter the station, while the other side sells tickets for future days.

View of the right ticket counters from the wrong ticket counters – Mawlamyine train station

While in Yangon we could buy a ticket three days before, this was not the case in Mawlamyine, despite the advice we received on the first day. The next morning we went to the correct counter, only to be told that we could only buy a ticket one day in advance and would have to come back the following morning. Which we did, and following our taxi driver’s advice went to the daily ticket counter, to be told we could buy a ticket, but from the other counter on the other side of the station. We duly walked across the shining marble once again, and yes, we were at the right counter, and we could buy a ticket! Wait, said the ticket seller. He then walked across to the marble foyer all the way to the daily tickets counter, and came back with the ticket book, so that he could write out our ticket for travel the following morning.